In the days since Utah’s top election official sent letters to more than 300,000 Utahns who previously opted to keep their voter registration records private, warning them their personal information is about to become public, questions and panic over the change have flooded social media platforms.

Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson mailed the notices earlier this month, informing voters that under the recently passed SB153, most voters’ data currently classified as “private” or “withheld” will be publicly accessible to anyone willing to pay a hefty fee beginning May 25.

Critics say the new state law puts vulnerable residents at risk, and that voters who sought privacy protections are right to be concerned.

The change coincides with sweeping efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to obtain the entirety of state voter databases as he continues to make unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud. Henderson has resisted the move, embroiling her in a legal battle with the Justice Department.

Officials in Henderson’s office met with reporters Tuesday to answer questions about how Utah’s new voter records law is being implemented. Here’s what we know, so far, about its anticipated impacts:

What data will be public? Will others see who I voted for?

No one — not even election officials — can access who and what individual Utahns voted for. The Utah Constitution protects voters’ right to a secret ballot.

Public voter registration records include a voter’s name, physical and mailing address, their party affiliation and place them in one of five different age ranges — 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-64 and 65 years old and up. Available records also include Utah voters’ party affiliation and which elections they have voted in.

Only voters designated as at-risk or a public figure will have their information excluded.

Certain election-specific reports, however, include the method Utahns used to vote. That means those reports indicate whether voters in a particular election fall into one of two categories: those who submitted the ballot they received in the mail through either the Postal Service or a drop box and those who cast their vote in person.

As views on election policy become increasingly partisan, with calls from the White House to ban voting by mail, some groups could use that information to make assumptions about individual voters’ political ideology.

Election officials will continue to protect every voter’s Social Security number, driver licence and state ID number, date of birth, signature, email address and phone number — for now.

Beginning in 2027, under the same bill, Utahns will have to indicate on voter registration forms whether election officials have permission to share their phone number and email address with the political party they are affiliated with.

Who will have access to this list, and when?

Anyone can purchase statewide voter registration lists with information designated public from the Utah lieutenant governor’s office for $1,050.

Members of the public can also purchase data reports from specific elections for $35. The lieutenant governor’s office only generates those reports for primary and general elections in even years — it does not create these reports for odd-year municipal elections.

The two types of election-specific reports include: a list of information on everyone who has voted and a list of everyone who has received a ballot through the mail.

Lawmakers have passed few restrictions on who can purchase these lists, according to Shelly Jackson, Utah’s deputy elections director. There are no limits on foreign entities or individuals who have been convicted of crimes from obtaining public voter lists.

Before receiving a voter list, individuals must sign a form that includes their name, address and telephone number, as well as a statement indicating whether they are seeking the list for themselves or on behalf of another person.

Forms that requesters are required to sign also include a statement that the information will not be illegally used or shared.

The lieutenant governor or a county clerk may opt to withhold a voter list if they have reason to believe the requester is not who they claim to be or that they will violate the law with the data.

Will voter data be posted online?

A list of Utah voters will not be published online by the state.

When a person purchases voter lists from the lieutenant governor’s office, they may not share that list with anyone other than their own “authorized agent.” But that category is broad because the new law does not define that term.

Jackson said that means individuals and groups who have obtained the data cannot post it on the internet for everyone to access, and when requesting voter lists, they must sign a statement saying they will protect data “using industry standard security measures.”

Violating the law is a class A misdemeanor — which may include up to 364 days in jail and a civil fine.

Who qualifies as a public official or at-risk voter?

An “at risk-voter” is defined in the law as anyone who is a victim, or threatened victim, of domestic or dating violence, law enforcement officers, active military members, public figures and individuals protected by a court order. Individuals who reside with anyone considered an at-risk voter may also apply to have their records protected.

Under statute, a public figure is “an individual who, due to the individual being considered for, holding, or having held a position of prominence in a public or private capacity, or due to the individual’s celebrity status, has an increased risk to the individual’s safety.”

The new law expands that definition to include anyone elected to or appointed to fill an elected public office, as well as government employees, who have received threats to themselves or their property in relation to their position.

Voters seeking protection on domestic violence grounds only need to submit a sworn affidavit stating they are or live with a victim or someone threatened with domestic or dating violence. No additional documentation is required for that category, but other at-risk categories, such as law enforcement or active military members, require supporting proof.

At-risk voters have a tight deadline for protecting their records before the data becomes public — they must submit completed forms to their county clerk by May 6.

County clerks are tasked with deciding whether voters meet the qualifications for having their records protected.

“That piece of discretion makes them a little uncomfortable,” Jackson said, adding the lieutenant governor’s office has advised clerks to consult with county attorneys in making determinations.

Clerks have until May 21 to process applications, and any voter records that don’t meet those qualifications become public May 25.

Former Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen expressed doubt that letters delivered by the lieutenant governor’s office will be sufficient to protect at-risk individuals. In her tenure as county clerk, ”regardless of the mailers, the news, whatever we did” to alert voters to relevant information, “not everyone got it,” Swensen said.

Beginning in 2027, the lieutenant governor’s office must post statistics related to at-risk voters statewide by House and Senate district and by political affiliation.

What if my request to be an at-risk voter is denied?

Voters whose applications are denied will be notified by mail, but may have little time to reach out to their county clerk to remedy deficiencies before the disclosure window opens.

The new law does not outline an appeal process for individuals whose applications are rejected. That means many voters’ only option for challenging their designation is taking the case to court.

There is also a procedural wrinkle depending on how voters were previously classified. Those whose information was designated as “withheld,” meaning an election officer previously determined the voter was in danger of further harm, received an at-risk application form included with their notice letter.

Voters classified as “private,” a broader category, received the notice, but must separately request the application form from their county clerk.

Who made this privacy change?

Utah’s supermajority Republican Legislature passed the new law during its recent legislative session, and Gov. Spencer Cox signed it in mid-March. Sen. John Johnson, R-North Ogden, and Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, sponsored the bill.

The lieutenant governor’s office clarified to reporters Tuesday that it did not ask for the change and is only responsible for implementing it.

“People think that our office decided on this policy — that’s not true,” Jackson said.

Henderson has repeatedly criticized members of her party for raising questions about election security and pushing legislation that would discourage voter participation.

Are fewer people going to vote because of this law?

The lieutenant governor’s office said it has received calls and emails from a number of Utahns indicating they plan to cancel their voter registration to protect their privacy. That possibility, Jackson added, is one she and her colleagues warned lawmakers of.

“We don’t know if those people have actually taken steps, but they definitely have said that they are,” Jackson said. “One person did call us from the Weber County clerk’s office and said, ‘I just wanted to let you know I’m here de-registering.”

Is this a backdoor for the Trump administration to obtain Utah’s voter data?

No. The Justice Department has requested the state’s entire voter database, which includes much more information than what can be purchased by the general public.

That database includes information belonging to at-risk voters, as well as more sensitive information than what is provided for voters whose registration is designated as public, such as the last four digits of Social Security numbers and the entirety of driver license and state ID numbers.

Henderson has asked a federal court to dismiss the case.